[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is glaring at the constellation 'secretive plotter'.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing out his hair in excitement.]
Kim Dokja had to wonder just why the constellation was smiling, especially given the circumstances. However, right now his biggest issue was probably the protagonist. Yoo Joonghyuk's chiseled jaw was so tense that Kim Dokja was genuinely worried that he'd start grinding his teeth or end up pulling a muscle from how hard he was clenching it.
"Well, that's suspicious as fuck," Han Sooyoung muttered, leaning forward and resting her chin on her palm.
[the constellation 'defense master' is demanding an explanation from the constellation 'secretive plotter'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is scoffing at irrelevant opinions.]
Looking at Secretive Plotter's indirect message, Dokja wonders if his different reaction might mean that the constellation caught a glimpse of Dokja's information. His thoughts, however, are interrupted by the paper mouth opening once more as [The Fourth Wall] bares its teeth towards the Star Stream, emitting a fierce aura towards the constellations as it does. Then, a section of pages bulge out, pressing against Dokja's cheek and side as [The Fourth Wall] throws a tantrum. Zooming out, it's revealed that the bulge is really a puffed out cheek as the wall pouts angrily.
For a long time, I thought this 'wall' was the boundary that divided the novel from reality. Because this 'wall' existed, I was able to adapt to the new world, and I was also able to remain logical in all sorts of terrible situations.
Looking at the stubborn wall, Dokja thinks that although he can't be certain of what it actually is, he can be sure that this wall has been protecting him for a long time. Reaching out a hand and laying it on the wall's cheek, Dokja apologizes sincerely. After receiving the apology, and a genuine smile from Dokja, the wall shivers. The strange texture of the letters on the pages wrap around Dokja's fingers, and he feels almost like they're licking or biting him, but it's an indescribable feeling.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is humming thoughtfully with a smile.]
Jung Heewon sighed, scratching the back of her neck. "Would it really be that big of a deal even if he saw it? I mean, it was mostly censored to you anyway, Dokja-ssi, so it was probably censored for him too. Plus that guy seems to like you enough that I don't think he'd use what he saw maliciously or anything."
That was true enough. The Secretive Plotter had always been generous and supportive, and even though Kim Dokja wasn't necessarily outwardly acknowledging it, he wasn't completely oblivious to how differently the constellation treated him compared to the others. Especially Yoo Joonghyuk. Kim Dokja really couldn't understand what the cause of that animosity was, since it didn't seem to stem from the protagonist's hatred of constellations in general. It seemed far more personal, somehow.
However, it wouldn't hurt to check, right?
Looking up at the ceiling, Kim Dokja widened his eyes just enough to look a bit more innocent and a bit bewildered. He wasn't going to go so far as to bat his eyelashes again (it was humiliating enough that he did it once, and if he used it too often, it would lose its effectiveness), but hopefully this would be enough. "Tell me honestly. Do you think your future self would use that information to hurt me?"
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is offended by the question of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is declaring that he is merely confirming a hypothesis.]
A hypothesis? Was there something he knew here that Kim Dokja didn't?
"You'd better not have any bad intentions for ahjussi," Shin Yoosung huffed as she looked suspiciously at the message.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is declaring that his intentions include inviting the incarnation 'kim dokja' for a proper meal.]
Kim Dokja felt his cheeks burn. He wasn't so pitiful that he needed to be literally fed by a constellation, was he? To make matters worse, Yoo Joonghyuk looked even more pissed off than before, which was making Yoo Sangah sigh and shake her head in exasperation while Lee Jihye and Jung Heewon exchanged knowing glances.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is somewhat disappointed by that statement.]
What was there to be disappointed about!? For once, Kim Dokja wasn't even a bit exasperated when Uriel began spamming threatening messages at Dionysus. At the very least, he could ignore it a bit because [The Fourth Wall] was acting up again. To his surprise, however, it began moving strangely in a way that just should not be happening.
Lee Gilyoung glared intently at the screen. "It had better not try to eat hyung again."
As it was revealed that it was just the wall pouting, Lee Hyunsung blinked in confusion. "It's… throwing a tantrum…?"
Yoo Mia stared at the wall in disbelief before grimacing. "It's just as immature as ahjumma."
Okay, that one made Kim Dokja have to bite his tongue so he wouldn't laugh.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is throwing a bigger tantrum.]
As Han Sooyoung mumbled in offense, Yoo Sangah glanced over at her with a small degree of amusement visible on her face. Truly, the only one less mature than Han Sooyoung in this scenario was her sponsor.
[several constellations are curious about the skill 'the fourth wall'.]
Lee Seolhwa looked down, thinking deeply. "I agree with the future Dokja-ssi, it's really hard to tell what this skill actually is. The Star Stream classifies it as a skill, but we haven't seen any other skills like this that seem to have their own consciousness."
That was true, but Kim Dokja had to admit that it was a bit weird to see himself apologizing to the wall. It was like walking into a post and then apologizing to it, except the post was actually alive and had feelings somehow.
As the letters began to wrap around Kim Dokja's fingers again, Lee Gilyoung glared harder. Lee Jihye on the other hand had an indescribable expression on her face. "Ahjussi, how are you acting like this is normal? It's not even a bit weird to you?"
"Oh it's very weird," Kim Dokja retorted, because it was the truth. "But after all the weird things we've seen, this isn't even the worst one."
Yoo Mia's dimensional pocket of a stomach would probably still win that competition, but the living wall was a pretty close second, in his opinion.
Though he can't explain everything, Dokja muses that [The Fourth Wall] is actually like several things—a wet puppy, an abandoned child, a teenager who won't listen. The wall is like him. Suddenly, a sentence appears in front of him on the wall.
「Kim Dok ja is an idiot.」
After a brief moment of confusion at the sentence unrelated to the story of the world and that seems to be written by a child just learning how to write, Dokja huffs out a laugh. These are the words of the wall itself, and the sentence is erased only to be replaced by random symbols to express its confusion. Patting the wall once more, Dokja's thoughts appear upon it through narration, showing how Dokja acknowledges that the wall has its own will.
As Dokja's theories about the strange words written in brackets and whether there's something on the other side of the wall are put on display, Dokja warns the wall to stop reading his thoughts. When the wall turns its head in disapproval through an indirect message, a pouty emoji also appears on a nearby page. After promising not to turn the skill off again, Dokja asks the wall to do something in return for his promise—give his mother back.
Shin Yoosung looked critically at the screen for a moment before looking simultaneously forlorn and judgmental. "A puppy is so much cuter than that wall."
However, the second that Kim Dokja mused that the wall was a lot like him, he could feel Lee Hyunsung look at him sympathetically. At the very least, Kim Dokja had outgrown that phase of his life and was now a self-sufficient adult.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is peering curiously at the sentence.]
"Well, fuck," Han Sooyoung grumbled. "It really is the same."
Yeah. Kim Dokja took a deep breath, trying to settle his mind a bit. That confirmed it—the strange messages they were getting were from [The Fourth Wall].
The writing was disjointed and juvenile, but still understandable. Or, at least, it was up until the point where it replaced itself with a bunch of symbols.
Lee Jihye snickered. "Do you think the wall is cursing at ahjussi?"
Kim Dokja really hoped not. If anything, he thought it seemed almost confused or unused to expressing itself outside of indirect messages. Regardless, it was almost creepy to see his own thoughts appear on the wall like that.
[the constellation 'lady of the sleeping brocade' is uncomfortable with the invasion of privacy.]
Ironic, considering that incarnations had no privacy. Whether or not they got the opportunity to use the bathroom without the stream being on them was entirely up to the mercy of whichever dokkaebi was running the channel they were on, after all. Speaking of which, Bihyung had better be directing the focus away from anyone bathing or taking a shit or else Kim Dokja would have to have words with him.
Either way, Kim Dokja had to agree with his future self's thoughts—was there something on the other side of this wall? By nature, a wall had two sides, after all.
"I have to admit, that face is just a bit cute," Lee Seolhwa said with a small laugh as the wall visibly pouted through the use of an emoji. Kim Dokja refused to think it was cute; the wall was a menace.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is agreeing that it is probably best to not turn off the skill.]
Considering that nosy constellations would be in his face the second he did, Kim Dokja was inclined to agree. Plus, a bunch of them had already seen what they wanted to see anyway. What did it matter anymore, really?
As he asked for his mother back in exchange for not turning off the skill, however, Kim Dokja didn't look back at her. His feelings were still incredibly conflicted, and even though he was choosing to save her, that didn't mean that he felt ready in any way to actually have a discussion about all the baggage in their past.
The eyes on the page blink before it disappears and narration reappears in its place.
「Kim Dokja hated his mother.」
Dokja smiles lightly, agreeing with the sentence.
「Kim Dokja found out what happened to his mother in the past. He realized what his mother had been through, the life she lived, and what she had kept hidden. Even though he knew, that didn't mean that he understood everything.」
After a longer pause, Dokja agrees again, telling the wall it's truly insightful when it moves onto analyzing Dokja's feelings and explaining that just because you learn that someone else has experienced terrible trauma, that doesn't make all the hurt you felt go away. The pouty face appears again as it indirectly asks why Dokja is trying to save his mother. With a sadder smile, Dokja states that not everything can be expressed in words, making the small face gain a speech bubble with dots.
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is approving of the selfless intentions of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"Dokja-ssi," Yoo Sangah said softly as Kim Dokja confirmed that he hated his mother, "I just want to say that I'm proud of you for doing what's right even if you feel conflicted."
"Is that really something to be proud of though?" Kim Dokja wondered, watching the screen with an inscrutable expression on his face. It wouldn't be fair to him to learn all of these things and then never be able to get his questions answered when he was ready to hear those answers. He wasn't saving her for any other reason.
She was clearly feeling somewhat uncomfortable—he could hear his mother clear her throat awkwardly from behind him, but not in a way that was intended to interrupt for once—but he once again couldn't look back.
"I think so. It's a very hard decision to make, especially with the world the way it is," Yoo Sangah confirmed with a smile. Well, if she said so, then Kim Dokja supposed that it had to be at least somewhat true. If anyone was going to be the center of their collective moral compass, Yoo Sangah would be the top choice.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is smiling softly.]
As the wall continued explaining Kim Dokja's feelings on the matter, he had to agree with its assessments. He had lived through that life too, but even then, he couldn't fully understand her experiences. Her struggles were different, and the mere fact that she was a woman changed a lot of societal pressures too.
However, it was the next part that made him let out a shaky breath. The wall was right—merely understanding someone and learning about their troubles didn't suddenly nullify any harm they caused in other ways. And, fuck, his mother had caused so much of that.
"Exactly," Jung Heewon agreed emphatically. "Being hurt isn't an excuse for hurting others, no matter what the situation is."
[several constellations are agreeing with the incarnation 'jung heewon'.]
"Words can be empty," Yoo Joonghyuk said in a tone that was only perceptible as being slightly softer than usual if you knew him. "What matters are your actions."
Yoo Joonghyuk was looking intently in Kim Dokja's direction, and though he knew, Kim Dokja only smiled weakly. He knew that, and he had to swallow down the lump in his throat at the protagonist's words. Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't talking about Kim Dokja's mother here, and he knew it.
"You're right, Joonghyuk-ah," Kim Dokja muttered wistfully. In the end, even he was aware that actions could only be twisted so much, no matter how hard he tried. All Kim Dokja could hope was that Yoo Joonghyuk wouldn't try too hard. He wasn't remotely ready to even think about it right now, especially after everything that had just happened.
Holding up his shaking arms, Dokja explains that he doesn't have much energy left, begging for the wall's aid. He doesn't know if it's possible for an existence that has entered the wall to come out again, but he has to try anyway. After starting to make a sentence, the little face closes its eyes and the sentence disappears before fully forming. Beside Dokja, a bunch of words flow rapidly together, creating a story that soon turns into the form of his mother.
Catching her, Dokja turns to the wall, thanking it with another smile.
「Sl ee py」
The little face closes its eyes and a bright light appears as the space itself cracks around him. Shielding his face from the intense light, Dokja misses an indirect message that states that 'Secretive Plotter' has chased away the 'Great Old Ones' who had been spying on him.
As the screen is overcome with light, the Star Stream informs Dokja that his current Dark Castle Rank is 2, making him eligible to take part in the final scenario of Dark Castle.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is wishing for the success of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Kim Dokja knew that everything here was uncertain, and that he couldn't know if this would even work. Maybe it was possible to bring her back, but maybe it wasn't. Maybe the probability costs would be too much, and maybe Kim Dokja wouldn't last long enough either.
"Dokja-yah, whatever happens will happen," his mother said, sounding more tired than anything. It was strange, hearing that tone of voice from her again. It wasn't one that he had heard in a very long time, and the mere sound of it made his skin crawl as his mind went on high alert, looking for signs of a long-dead danger. He had to breathe deeply just to remind himself that there was no need to be stressed out like that, but it didn't make things any easier either.
Even though Yoo Sangah and Lee Seolhwa seemed to be the most relieved as his mother's story slowly reformed, even Jung Heewon looked a bit more relaxed. At the very least, she wasn't squeezing the life out of Lee Hyunsung's poor hand anymore, so Kim Dokja assumed she was feeling a bit better.
[the constellation 'founder's mother' is satisfied with this situation.]
"Do walls need a nap time?" Lee Gilyoung wondered in confusion as the wall declared that it was sleepy, and Kim Dokja honestly had to shrug. Logic didn't apply anymore, after all, so what the hell, why not. Walls could have nap times now!
Speaking of which, Kim Dokja really wished that they could actually feel tired in this place because he also wanted a nap or something just so he could retreat into his shell and spend the next five weeks processing everything in isolation.
A bright light suddenly burst through the cracks in the space keeping him separated from the Dark Castle, and Kim Dokja flinched back. Holy shit, that was so bright all of a sudden, and his eyes watered as he squinted.
"Wait a damn second," Han Sooyoung said out of nowhere, pointing directly at the screen in an accusatory way. "What the fuck is that!?"
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is looking suspiciously in the direction of the constellation 'secretive plotter'.]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is chuckling in amusement.]
Wait, what? What did Han Sooyoung see? Once his vision recovered, Kim Dokja finally had a chance to read the indirect message and his eyes widened in shock. Okay, yeah, that was very much a 'what the fuck' kind of situation.
Yoo Joonghyuk looked intensely displeased, clenching his fists and glaring so much at the message that a vein began to become far more prominent on his neck. Kim Dokja didn't look at it for more than five seconds before snapping his gaze back to the screen in disbelief.
Even then, there was only one question he could ask. "... Why?"
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is reassuring the incarnation 'kim dokja' that he wouldn't let anything happen.]
That didn't answer his question, but he did feel somewhat reassured. Jung Heewon seemed utterly baffled by this whole situation, Lee Hyunsung didn't seem to have a single thought in his head, and Lee Jihye looked absolutely devastated. Like some kind of insane conspiracy theorist, she was muttering something about 'ahjussi', 'Master', and 'betrayal'. Kim Dokja really didn't want to know what she was talking about.
Han Sooyoung just snorted. "Well, at least his maybe-divine-possibly-eldritch sugar daddy is looking out for him."
"He is not my sugar daddy!" Kim Dokja protested, feeling his cheeks warm in embarrassment. "What the hell, Han Sooyoung?"
Her only response was a smug grin that made her look extremely punchable.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is saying that there is nothing to be ashamed of.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is reminding the constellation 'secretive plotter' to leave the companionship alone.]
Shut up, that's not helping!
"Um, congratulations on being rank 2, Dokja-ssi," Lee Seolhwa said, trying way too hard to change the subject. It was very blatant, but Kim Dokja was absolutely going to take it. Anything to get off of this topic, thanks.
He laughed a bit too loudly. "Wow, thank you Seolhwa-ssi! I'm definitely going to be a good asset for the next scenario!"
The room suddenly went silent, and Kim Dokja realized that he might have fucked that one up a bit. Shit.
As Dokja's dead body returns on the screen, he can be seen once again lying in a coffin. It has been two days since the battle, and the survivors have been busy dealing with the dead and cleaning up the situation. Most of the people who have been chosen to proceed to the next floor have gathered near the coffin, gazing upon his pale body. Though Dokja had survived the Outer God, he had died right after returning to the second floor of Dark Castle.
A sigh is heard as Jihye speaks up, "This ahjussi's job is to die all the time."
After Heewon discusses that he should be reviving tomorrow, Sangah asks if the coffin was necessary. After a brief silence, filled by a dragon's yawn, Heewon scratches her head while proclaiming that Dokja is dead after all. Several of them look at the coffin with different expressions on their face—Hyunsung with reverence, Yoosung with guilt, and Sangah with confusion.
Looking to the side, Jihye wonders why Joonghyuk has decided to stay instead of looking for more hidden pieces. In response to Joonghyuk's weak excuse of labeling the remaining hidden pieces as worthless, Jihye points out that it doesn't mean he has to be right there with the rest of them.
Sure enough, Kim Dokja buried his face in his hands the moment his dead body appeared on the screen.
"I knew I wasn't in good shape, but I was alive just a moment ago!" he whined in a muffled tone, sounding rather agonized. "When the hell did I die!?"
"Two days ago, apparently," Lee Jihye replied flatly as soon as that question was answered. All Kim Dokja could do was groan. At least that meant he was close to resurrecting again, but that didn't mean he had to like this situation whatsoever.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is hoping that the incarnation 'kim dokja' will wake up in front of everyone this time.]
Lee Seolhwa sighed. "Well, at least Dokja-ssi died back in the Dark Castle and not in that strange space. For all we know, he could have ended up stranded."
Okay, that was one thing to be thankful for, but it didn't mean that the current situation was all that great either. Nobody else here understood just how awkward it really was to have all your friends gathered around your coffin and corpse.
As soon as the future Lee Jihye made her remark, Kim Dokja groaned even more until he felt a tug on his sleeve. Looking over, he saw that it was Shin Yoosung.
"Please get another job, ahjussi."
Unfortunately, even though it definitely wasn't actually his job, Kim Dokja couldn't even say that it was thankless or unpaid. By now, he had saved several people with his deaths—namely Yoo Joonghyuk twice now, not that the sunfish bastard would admit it or thank him for it, as well as some other people—and he was almost certainly making a ton of coins off the constellations.
[many constellations are entertained by the current conversation.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is wondering why anyone wants a job anyway.]
See? Case in point.
All Kim Dokja did was shoot her a flimsy smile. "Don't listen to Lee Jihye, she doesn't know what she's talking about half the time anyway."
"Hey!" The teenager yelped in offense. "I know more than you do about some stuff, ahjussi!"
Sure, whatever. Right now, Kim Dokja was just extremely exasperated that everyone except for Yoo Sangah was seemingly okay with him being put in a coffin every time. Did they not realize how awkward and demotivating it was to literally wake up in one?
At the very least, Lee Hyunsung looked away guiltily. "Ah… do you think that maybe we could have gone back to Paradise to put Dokja-ssi in an actual bed?"
"You know what," Kim Dokja said, blinking in surprise, "that's a very good idea, Hyunsung-ssi. Thank you."
There had to be at least a few buildings that were still standing, right?
[several constellations are longing for the comfort of a bed.]
To Kim Dokja's surprise, the screen revealed that Yoo Joonghyuk had decided to stay this time, and he wasn't sure how to feel about that. On one hand, it made his heart rate speed up a bit, but on the other, he knew how much the protagonist hated wasting time. They wouldn't be able to advance to the next scenario without Kim Dokja anyway, but he had still expected Yoo Joonghyuk to go off and make further preparations on his own.
Instead, he was standing there with everyone else. Though he made excuses about the rest of the hidden pieces being worthless—they weren't, Kim Dokja was fairly certain that he could think of three good ones that he probably hadn't had time to go after with Han Sooyoung—it was obvious that it was a flimsy excuse.
Yoo Mia sighed and shook her head. "Oppa, that ahjussi is a bad influence on you. You used to be better at lying."
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is imploring the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' to stop lying to himself.]
Lee Jihye nodded frantically. "Uriel-unnie is right! It's not a bad thing to admit that you're waiting for ahjussi to wake up so you can have a heartfelt reunion!"
Kim Dokja wanted to sigh again. Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't the type of man to want 'heartfelt reunions' with anyone other than his sister, no matter what he felt for them. Why was she still spouting this nonsense when the mere idea was so out of character in the first place?
After a moment, Joonghyuk finally admits that he needs that idiot—Dokja—to move to the next floor. Immediately, Jihye gains a wide and conspiratory grin as she states that the two of them seem awfully close these days, starting to mutter about something she saw a few days ago.
Of course, her retreat behind Sangah is just as quick when Joonghyuk whirls around to shoot a dark glare in her direction; however, upon closer inspection, his expression is actually rather grim instead of angry. Heewon decides to speak up, telling Jihye not to tease Joonghyuk and to stop disturbing him and Dokja. She follows this up by stating that he's there for the same reason as the rest of them. After all, even if someone is able to resurrect, that doesn't mean they're not afraid of death.
Her words make the mood turn somber as they all look at Dokja once more, and Gilyoung even closes his eyes sadly. They all know that even though he has multiple lives, that doesn't mean he should sacrifice those lives for others. Yoosung kneels down, sadly stating that she would be dead if it wasn't for Dokja. Others who have also been saved by him—Hyunsung, Heewon, Gilyoung, and Jihye—don't doubt it either.
Han Sooyoung snorted. "As much as I want to make fun of the bastard for admitting it, the one earlier was better."
The one earlier? Was Han Sooyoung talking about what Yoo Joonghyuk had said to his mother!? Kim Dokja felt his cheeks warm at the mere reminder of that declaration. It had been so baffling that he still wasn't certain that he had heard it correctly.
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is wondering what the incarnations 'kim dokja' and 'yoo joonghyuk' were whispering about.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is overjoyed by the display of companionship.]
Were they getting closer? Or, at least, close enough that people were noticing? Kim Dokja was glad that Yoo Joonghyuk was trusting him to do things now, but it was still difficult to reconcile those actions with the protagonist that he knew.
"Jihye-yah, maybe be a bit more considerate of your words next time," Yoo Sangah reminded the teenager gently as the future Yoo Joonghyuk shot his disciple a dark glare. Despite that, Kim Dokja had to admit that he didn't look entirely angry.
Next to him, Lee Gilyoung shifted uncomfortably, looking away. "The sooty bastard has to be a bit sad too, right?"
Gilyoung-ah, Yoo Joonghyuk isn't a robot…
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is wondering what would happen if the incarnations were truly left alone.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is trying to stop her nosebleed at the thought.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is emphasizing that nothing will happen on his watch.]
Okay, Kim Dokja didn't want to know what any of that was about, especially because Han Sooyoung looked extremely entertained yet exasperated, while Jung Heewon was snickering.
As the future Jung Heewon made a good point, though, Kim Dokja had to sigh. "She's right—dying isn't something you just get used to. Even though I know I'll come back, that doesn't mean it isn't painful or scary."
"It never gets easier," Yoo Joonghyuk said, barely above a whisper. Yes, if anyone would truly understand that feeling, it was the protagonist himself. Even in the depths of his deepest despair in the regressions where he truly wanted to die, Yoo Joonghyuk had still felt fear and apprehension.
Kim Dokja couldn't say anything in return, not when they stated that he shouldn't sacrifice his lives for others just because he had more than one. All those times, it had been because he knew it was necessary for his goals. He would never feel guilty about dying in Yoo Joonghyuk's place—the protagonist was the one person who needed to survive. It wasn't that he wanted other people to be expendable, but Kim Dokja had to admit that he had his priorities. While Yoo Joonghyuk was on the top of that list, followed by the rest of the group members he had grown to care for, anyone else was below himself.
He hadn't saved all of them because he was a good person, either. It was simply being in the right place at the right time, that was all.
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is pleased by the good deeds of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
This makes Jihye sigh, stating that she didn't want to be cheesy, but that she'd give her second life to Dokja if she ever had one. Of course, Gilyoung has to rain on her parade by bringing up her affection reader score of 6 and saying that Dokja might not accept it because of that. Huffing, Jihye exclaims that they'd all have the same score as long as they wear the 'weird outfit', which results in a disgusted expression from Gilyoung and a snort of laughter from Hyunsung. It's a relief to see the two of them bickering after how brutal the battle a few days ago had been.
From a short distance away, Joonghyuk just glances over his shoulder at his disciple and watches them silently.
As soon as Kim Dokja heard Lee Jihye's musings, however, he frowned. If she had a second life, then she should keep it for herself. Unlike him, she didn't have all that extra information about the scenarios and hidden pieces that would help her survive. The last thing Kim Dokja wanted was for someone to sacrifice themselves for him.
Of course, that was when Lee Gilyoung had to poke fun at her score again, and the only reason Kim Dokja didn't say anything was because he didn't want to remind the kid of his own score and subsequent breakdown. Instead, they were all treated to Lee Jihye's overdramatic wail of betrayal.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is encouraging his incarnation.]
Han Sooyoung snorted as soon as Lee Jihye brought up the dress again. "Yeah, funny how that one worked. By the way, you wouldn't catch me dead in that shit."
He didn't want to see her in it anyway.
Yoo Sangah sighed fondly and shook her head. "I'm just glad that everyone is doing well, all things considered. We're probably counting down until Dokja-ssi comes back!"
"We're gonna have to welcome ahjussi back!" Shin Yoosung exclaimed with a wide and innocent smile. As much as he appreciated it, Kim Dokja really hoped they wouldn't go overboard or anything. They were still in the middle of the scenarios, after all.
However, the faint smile dropped off his face as he noticed Yoo Joonghyuk standing apart from everyone else. The protagonist wasn't an overly social person, but something about it felt… weird. Kim Dokja didn't like it.
Unlike other times, Kim Dokja felt like the distance was intentional, almost like Yoo Joonghyuk was building a wall of his own between himself and the others. It felt almost like he was trying to step into Kim Dokja's role—one that consisted of just watching and reading the story from afar. Though he didn't know what was going on, something about it all was setting off the alarm bells in Kim Dokja's brain.
[several constellations are eager for the resurrection of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[a few constellations are wondering if the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' is missing his companion.]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' curious to see how the current events will proceed.]